An Analysis of Martin Buber's I and Thou

Download or read book An Analysis of Martin Buber's I and Thou written by Simon Ravenscroft and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2018-05-20 with total page 116 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Martin Buber’s I and Thou argues that humans engage with the world in two ways. One is with the attitude of an ‘I’ towards an ‘It’, where the self stands apart from objects as items of experience or use. The other is with the attitude of an ‘I’ towards a ‘Thou’, where the self enters into real relation with other people, or nature, or God. Addressing modern technological society, Buber claims that while the ‘I-It’ attitude is necessary for existence, human life finds its meaning in personal relationships of the ‘I-Thou’ sort. I and Thou is Buber’s masterpiece, the basis of his religious philosophy of dialogue, and among the most influential studies of the human condition in the 20th century.